Chemical used to make non-stick coatings may be harmful to health - research

A chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid, used to make non-stick coating for pots and pans, food wrappers and stain-resistant fabrics may harm the immune system, liver and thyroid and cause higher cholesterol in children, according to the initial findings of a study of 69,000 people who live near a DuPont manufacturing plant. The health effects observed in the study population in West Virginia and Ohio are believed to have been caused by exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA, also known as C8, released from the DuPont plant in Washington, West Virginia. PFOA is one of a class of perfluorinated chemicals used to make Teflon coating and other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain-resistant fabrics.

PFOA is very persistent in the environment and was being found at very low levels both in the environment and in the blood of the general U.S. population. Studies indicated that PFOA can cause developmental and other adverse effects in laboratory animals. PFOA also appears to remain in the human body for a long time. All of these factors, taken together, prompted the Agency to investigate whether PFOA might pose a risk to human health and the environment at the levels currently being found, or at levels that might be reached in the future as more PFOA continues to be released into the environment.